“He’s a guy who allows us to learn more about William’s old life before Randall (Sterling K. Brown) had come knocking on his door,” series creator Dan Fogelman tells EW. “He’s a friend from back before. And William on Christmas Eve returns home to take care of some stuff back at home, and through his old buddy, we get to learn more about William. It’s not what the episode is about, but because people have been asking, he holds the answer to what has happened to William’s cat.”

You can get your first look at him in this image from “Last Christmas,” which shows Jessie attending a meeting with William.

To read what Fogelman had to say about Randall’s confrontation with his mother in last week’s episode, “Pilgrim Rick,” before watching tomorrow’s episode, “The Trip,” click here.